The wait seemed endless. She didn’t think she had ever been so cold, and her bare feet had lost all feeling, but she wasn’t going back for her shoes. After about twenty minutes the driver returned, still carrying the bag. But he was alone – the person with him, whether woman, girl or child, wasn’t there. Where was she?

He opened the car door, but in the brief flash of the interior light Sharon couldn’t make out any features. He had his back to her. She heard the purr of an expensive engine, but no headlights came on. Suddenly the area where she was hiding felt exposed, illuminated by the car’s reversing lights as he backed along the lane. Sharon stayed perfectly still. Sudden movement would be easy to detect, so she slowly dropped her head again, hoping her dark hair would blend in with her black coat. Her heart was pounding as the car reversed past her.

That would have been her chance to look at the driver’s face, possibly glowing green from the instrument panel. But it would have been his chance to see her too, so she kept her head down, hoping and praying he wouldn’t stop.

For a moment she thought he had as the car drew to a halt. But she breathed again when she realised he was putting it in gear to go forward. She lifted her head as the sound of the car moved away.

He had gone.

Sharon heard herself whimper as the fear that had been clutching her started to fade.

But where was the other person? Was there still a danger?

Sharon felt the first thick flakes of snow on her face and realised she needed to go. But where was the girl?

She couldn’t wait to find out. If she stayed much longer and the promised heavy snowfall came she would be trapped, and there would be no explaining that away to Jez.

She ran as if the devil was chasing her and leaped into her car. This time her key went straight into the ignition, and she was out of the car park and on her way home within minutes. Her breath was coming in gasps, and her teeth clattered together as shivers racked her body.

Then the questions started, flitting round and round in her head.

What had he been doing? But more to the point, why did he want her car registration number? Was he going to hunt her down, to check what she’d seen?

She was so stupid. She didn’t deserve Jez, and he must never know about this.

She should go to the police. But how could she keep it from Jez? How could she stop him from discovering what she so very nearly had done?

CHAPTER 14

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